Weekly News Update: Jan. 27 edition

Brian Bergstrom
January 27, 2019

Can you spell triskaidekaphobia? Neither can we. The My Buckhannon team finished in a respectable tie for fifth place at the fourth annual community spelling bee Friday evening at the Event Center at Brushy Fork.

This year, 42 four-person squads entered the bee, but the team at the top stayed the same, with Highway to Spell winning for a second straight year.

On Friday, the federal government shutdown came to an end as the President and legislature agreed to a three-week funding bill while discussions about border security continue.

Locally, businesses and organizations pitched in to support federal employees who had gone a month without receiving a paycheck, offering government workers food, drinks and even gift cards for gas.

Our news coverage of the week started with a story about Wesleyan’s plans to raze Camden Avenue Apartments this summer. The student housing, originally built during an enrollment boom in the early 1980s, will be torn down and replaced with a green space, at least in the near term.

Education was a focus at My Buckhannon all week. On Tuesday, the Upshur County Board of Education paid tribute to longtime employee Kermit Pugh, who passed away earlier this month.

In other education news, Jane Johnson was named the secretary of the West Virginia P.E.O. International board, and B-UHS announced its January Teens of the Month. WVU and Alderson Broaddus released their fall Dean’s List and President’s List honorees, and WVU also highlighted December graduates.

Our My Buckhannon partners have been busy as well. On Thursday, Alfredo’s Restaurant in Tennerton hosted the B-UHS Lady Buccaneer basketball squad. The Italian and Greek restaurant also offers West Virginia Wesleyan College students 10 percent off on Sunday and Monday.

On the jobs front, the Learning Center at West Virginia Wesleyan College is hiring a test lab coordinator. This is a part-time position, five hours per day, nine months per year, from early August through early May each year. There’s also about 20 hours of training in April 2019.

Are you ready to make Buckhannon the best it can be? Looking to volunteer but don’t know where to start? The Buckhannon Volunteer Center has you covered with an awesome Valentine’s Day themed event: Speed Volunteering.

“In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the Buckhannon Volunteer Center wants to help you find your perfect match,” is how the BVC describes the Feb. 12 event. “Mingle with local organizations to find the volunteer opportunity that meets your needs and interests, all while benefiting the B-U community.”

Another event scheduled one week from today is the Mixed Bag Bingo supporting the B-UHS Baseball team. That starts at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3 at the Buckhannon Moose Lodge. A $20 donation gets you 20 games.

A woman who was struck by a car while crossing the road at the crosswalk in front of Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home got some good news Wednesday when she was released from Ruby Memorial Hospital, where she had been recovering from the serious injuries she sustained.

Finally, the week-long Groundhog Festival kicked off on Friday, with activities scheduled through the coming week as French Creek Freddie prepares to make his famous forecast at the West Virginia Wildlife Center on Groundhog Day, Saturday, Feb. 2.